Urbanisation

Question 1

Burgess (1925)

Answer 1

Introduced the concentric zone model as part of the Chicago School. Saw the city as an ecological system organised by competition and invasion-succession.

Question 2

Harvey (1973, 1982)

Answer 2

Argued cities are shaped by capitalist processes. Introduced the concept of the ‘spatial fix’ and viewed urban space as a tool for managing crises of accumulation.

Question 3

Smith (1979)

Answer 3

Developed the rent gap theory, explaining how gentrification results from the gap between actual and potential ground rent in urban areas.

Question 4

Castells (1977)

Answer 4

Argued that urban space is shaped by collective consumption and social movements. Focused on the political economy of the city.

Question 5

Soja (2000)

Answer 5

Explored postmodern urbanism and spatial fragmentation. Emphasised how urban inequality and security regimes restructure space.

Question 6

Jacobs (1961)

Answer 6

Emphasised the importance of diversity, mixed-use neighbourhoods, and bottom-up urban planning in creating vibrant, resilient cities.

Question 7

Sassen (1991)

Answer 7

Coined the term ‘global city’ to describe urban hubs (e.g. London, NYC) that control global capital flows and concentrate high-value services.

Question 8

Davis (2006)

Answer 8

Described the emergence of ‘planet of slums’ and critiqued how neoliberal urbanisation generates informal, precarious settlements.

Question 9

Mitchell (1996)

Answer 9

Argued that landscapes, including urban ones, are shaped by labour and class relations, and that they often conceal exploitation.

Question 10

Brenner (2004)

Answer 10

Analysed how neoliberalism restructures urban governance and state spatial strategies through rescaling and deregulation.